The Last Burst of Color: Leading with Humility, Trust, and Graditude

By the time this post is read, the landscape will likely have moved fully into winter. The leaves that inspired this reflection will have fallen, yet the underlying leadership message remains relevant: evidence of change may disappear from view, but the work continues beneath the surface.

Just last week, the trees were still offering those final, unexpected bursts of color, the late risers in the fall season. Today, after sustained temperature drops, nearly every leaf has fallen. The timing feels fitting. Even as the visual inspiration has faded, the leadership lesson it sparked remains clear: change work persists long after the bright moments of motivation fall away.

As fall slips toward winter’s stillness, the landscape around us shifts. Leaves that recently covered our neighborhoods in bold color now gather quietly on the ground. And yet, every so often (in those final days of fall), we turn down a street and see one tree still blazing in reds and oranges, vibrant against an otherwise muted backdrop. A final burst of color at the edge of the season.

In our schools and districts, the same phenomenon emerges in the presence of late adopters: educators who step into the work with unexpected brilliance after periods of hesitation, uncertainty, or quiet resistance. When approached with humility, trust, and gratitude, these individuals often become some of the strongest exemplars of implementation and sustained change.

This moment in the season invites us to reflect on leadership, timing, and the conditions that allow people to flourish. It reminds us that implementation is never about forcing urgency but about cultivating readiness. And it echoes a core belief woven throughout this work: Knowledge is not a destination but a continued conversation, one carried forward through shared understanding, common language, accessible tools, and leadership grounded in grace, gratitude, and curiosity.

Understanding the Seasons of Implementation

Like the natural cycle of the seasons, educational change moves through phases of preparation, growth, and renewal. Rogers’ (2003) diffusion of innovations illustrates that individuals adopt new practices at different times and for different reasons. Late adopters often carry deep experience, influence, and high-context knowledge of the system. Their hesitation is not always resistance. Often, it’s grounded in reflection or a signal of unmet implementation needs.

Each educator and context’s needs are unique. Implementation research reinforces that sustained change requires readiness, relational trust, contextual fit, and consistent communication (Fixsen et al., 2005; Bryk & Schneider, 2002). Just as trees change color only when conditions align, individuals often embrace new practices when they:

• Feel psychologically safe
• Hold a clear understanding of the shared purpose, and
• Perceive an acknowledgment of their expertise
• Trust their leaders to support their learning process

Why Late Adopters Matter

There is comfort in the early adopters, the bright leaves that spark initial visibility. However, late adopters bring something equally valuable:

• Historical memory of past initiatives 
• Influence within the informal culture 
• Pragmatic insight about what has or has not worked 

When late adopters shift, they often do so with intention and depth. Their change can steady the system, broaden the implementation narrative, and surface areas where communication, clarity, or resources may have been lacking (Fullan, 2019; Bandura, 1997). Their questions, and sometimes their skepticism, can be gifts if leveraged as such.

These educators help leaders look more closely at the structures, expectations, and supports that shape the implementation journey. When those questions, or unspoken needs, are met with openness rather than defensiveness, transformation becomes not an event but a shared conversation.

Leadership Actions for Supporting Late Adopters

Each section below provides system and leader reflections as well as resource callouts in each lens of support for late adopters in the system. Choosing to leverage their expertise, voice, and highlighted need can allow for more sustainable systems to be developed. Some prompts may resonate and elicit deep discussions. Others may be a mismatch for your context. Engage with the prompts and resources that connect with you and your team.

Lead with Gratitude

Gratitude acknowledges expertise, validates experience, and fosters trust. By leading through gratitude, systems begin shifting engagement from compliance to partnership (Kerns & McQuaid, 2017).

• System reflection: Who in the system is building deep knowledge in this initiative whose voice is missing from decision-making or implementation conversations?
• Leader reflection: When reviewing implementation data, have I considered the leverage points within the group showing lower levels of implementation?
• Resource callouts: Explore related ideas in the blog, Showing Up with Gratitude: Beyond the Celebrations

Create Psychologically Safe Learning Spaces

Psychological safety allows educators to ask questions, express uncertainty, and learn in a community without fear of judgment (Edmondson, 2019).

• System reflection: How do our structures signal that inquiry is valued as much as accuracy or completion?
• Leader reflection: Do I model vulnerability through sharing my own learning edges?
• Resource callout: Engaging with teams by leveraging relationships and honoring that conflict is a natural part of our teaming conversation can build powerful outcomes. Learn more about restorative conversations and relational approaches in Restorative Practices & Inclusive Discipline: An On-Demand Course and Implementation Toolkit

Revisit the Why

Purpose fuels ownership. Connecting initiatives to shared purpose, values, and observable student outcomes strengthens collective efficacy and alignment (Fixsen et al., 2005).

• System reflection: How consistently do we articulate the purpose of this work, beyond directives or compliance expectations?
• Leader reflection: When was the last time I engaged the team in a purpose-centered conversation rather than a task-centered one?
• Resource callout: Leverage guiding questions from implementation frameworks to assess clarity and alignment. Check out this blog to learn more and download the free template: Clarity in Change: A Template for Communicating Shifts in School Protocols

Highlight Diverse Exemplars of Success

Showcase how others have found success through context-responsive approaches. This builds belief and signals that there is not only one “right” way to implement (Fixsen et al., 2005).

• System reflection: Are the exemplars we lift up representative of the diversity within our system?
• Leader reflection: Do I celebrate differentiated success, or unintentionally reinforce uniformity?
• Resource callout: Review case studies and local examples that illustrate varied pathways to strong implementation. Your community voices matter. Find them and lift them.

Model Persistence and Presence

Leadership visibility stabilizes change, especially through fatigue or ambiguity. Consistent presence communicates that transformation is relational and long-term.

• System reflection: What structures sustain leadership visibility and relational consistency during multi-year implementation?
• Leader reflection: How do I show up during difficult implementation seasons, not only when progress is clear?
• Resource callout: Explore learning walks or leader shadowing to build relational trust. Providing tools and modeling best practices when the work is tough can create a culture of trust. Check out this Free Resource for Leaders and Staff! Student Trust: Proven Strategies for Stronger Classroom Connections

A Season of Gratitude and Renewal

The last burst of autumn color reminds us that readiness is not uniform. What may appear as delay may actually be preparation, root-building beneath the surface. And when readiness aligns with clarity, psychological safety, and gratitude-driven leadership, the brilliance that emerges can influence the entire landscape.

As we move toward winter, let us remain grounded in gratitude—for early adopters, for the steady middle, and for the late adopters whose shifts deepen the work. And let us continue the conversation, knowing that implementation is not a single moment but a collective, ongoing journey.

Sometimes the most transformative colors take just a little longer to appear.

References

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W.H. Freeman.

Bryk, A. S., & Schneider, B. (2002). Trust in schools: A core resource for improvement. Russell Sage Foundation.

Edmondson, A. C. (2019). The fearless organization: Creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth. Wiley.

Fixsen, D. L., Naoom, S. F., Blasé, K. A., Friedman, R. M., & Wallace, F. (2005). *Implementation research: A synthesis of the literature. University of South Florida.

Fullan, M. (2019). Leading in a culture of change (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Kerns, C., & McQuaid, M. (2017). Gratitude in organizations: Development of a scale and empirical analysis. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 12(6), 595–606.

Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). Free Press.